Were you there? Find yourself in Williamb’s gallery

It’s been almost 20 years since they started and 15 years since Dookie so anyone would expect a Green Day audience to be full of 30-somethings grown fat and jaded, beaten down by the man and trying to recapture the passion of their youth. Not so. Green Day, like punk, has an appeal that spans generations, and welcomes anyone who refuses to stay in their box.

Kicking off their Australian tour in Perth, Green Day were in high spirits and proved they know how to drive a crowd. The anticipation in the pits was palpable, people from 12-45 years of age were bouncing on the balls of their feet and barely repressing their grins as a huge pink bunny appeared centre stage to skull several bottles of beer, seemingly to get the crowd in the mood.

They began the set with a song from their first album in five years and the crowd went predictably wild -a significantly different reaction to support act, Jet. Letting the crowd sing the last chorus of Song of the Century set the mood for the rest of the night.

Green Day stormed their way through a couple of new songs before slowing for a breather and a chat, – œIt’s been a fucking long time since we’ve been to Perth. Normally we save the best till last but this time we’re doing the best first’

Such blatant flattery would get them everywhere.

Drum beats were accentuated by pyrotechnic explosions and bursts of fire which must have been quite terrifying for drummer Tré Cool since even the people at the back of the dome could feel the heat, and Cool was surrounded by four of the flame throwers. The backdrop was an ever changing version of a city scape, now made up of lit buildings, then speaker stacks, televisions, or visions of slums or dripping blood. It even helped the crowd when it was encore time because the sign lit up to prompt a chant of – œGreen Day’.

Changing things up every couple of songs, front man Billie Joe Armstrong kept the two and a half hour set dynamic, either pulling people out of the crowd or hosing them down with water cannons, shooting them with toilet paper from a nifty contraption, firing t-shirts into the audience with a handheld t-shirt gun; this was the ultimate in crowd participation.

Karaoke with Green Day might require a rethink, however, for whilst the two girls invited up to sing Longview probably had the time of their lives, there is a reason why everyone is not a rock star, and Britney mimes on stage. As much fun as it looked, more than a few people thought Good Riddance when they left the stage. Other audience participation included pulling a child out of the – œgodless crowd’ to heal him, and then sending him running off the end of the stage to dive into the crowd where he surfed for a while before disappearing.

The oldest songs were the biggest sing alongs of course, but Are We the Waiting was the most beautiful, moving Armstrong to his knees as he listened to his fans singing his song, and making worshipping gestures in thanks. Other set highlights included the King for a Day/ Shout medley which included snippets of Satisfaction, Hey Jude, Highway to Hell and others too short to recognise. Strutting the stage in a blue feather boa and some tiny knickers that had been tossed onstage, he was completely upstaged by Cool who appeared behind him in a Melbourne cup hat and red wonder-bra and minced around on the drum riser, to the audience’s delight.

The band were clearly having a great time, playing with the crowd, getting them to sing something in almost every song, even holding a note for 12 bars and encouraging the audience to do the same which, surprisingly they did, and the sound was goose-bump inspiring. At its conclusion, Armstrong said quietly, – œthis is why you’re better than Americans’ While it seemed a little disloyal for him to say such things, the Perth audience took it like the compliment it was meant to be and that was pretty much the point where any disbelievers became converted Green Day fans.

There were two encores, one with the band and then an acoustic encore where Armstrong played the slow favourites inducing a lighter waving arm swaying ocean and bringing a tear to many an eye.

You and John Lydon can mutter all you like about legitimate punks and Green Day’s right to adopt the trappings of a bygone era, The fact is that punk is still relevant, and will remain so as long as there is a mainstream. Punk is a mindset, not a way of dressing. It is essentially about the fight; and while the issues change, what remains the same is the outspoken minority that shouts “No!” and rallies others to the cause any way they can. Green Day make music that discourages sheep and raises awareness about issues important to them, just as the Sex Pistols did nearly 30 years ago.

Were you there? Find yourself in Williamb’s gallery

Green Day Perth Set List:

-21st century breakdown
-song of the century
-know your enemy
-east jesus nowhere
-holiday
-static age
-give me novocaine
-are we the waiting
-st jimmy
-boulevard of broken dreams
-2000 light years away
-hitchin’ a ride
-when i come around
-iron man (cover)
-highway to hell (acdc cover)
-brain stew
-jaded
-longview
-basket case
-she
-teenage kicks (+ ‘satisfactions’ cover) – hey jude/shout
-21 guns
-minority

encore
-american idiot
-jesus of surburbia

acoustic encore
-last night on earth
-wake me up when september ends
-good riddance (time of your life)

Set list by Monty Kanungo (updated by Musikchik)